2024 Canadian Car and SUV of the Year Awards Announced by AJAC

Published on February 15, 2024 in News by Guillaume Rivard

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) crowned its top vehicles of the year during a special ceremony at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto this morning.

All 2024 model year vehicles were eligible for the awards including those newly designed, recently refreshed, and carried over from last year. However, under a new format for 2024, the awards have been simplified into four categories:

Canadian Car of the Year
Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year
Canadian Electric Car of the Year
Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year

“Our 48 jurors are AJAC members, some of the top automotive journalists in the country, and are located from Halifax to Vancouver. They drive every vehicle they vote on in real-world conditions, the same conditions you face every day living in Canada,” says AJAC President Evan Williams. “It’s the only awards program in the country that can say that, and it’s something we’re extremely proud of. We believe it shows Canadian drivers they can be confident in our results and in the Canadian Car of the Year program.”

Without further ado, here are the winners…

2024 Canadian Car of the Year

The Toyota Prius is this year’s winner, taking the torch from the BMW i4. Other finalists included the Honda Accord midsize sedan and the Acura Integra Type S performance hatchback.

The fifth-generation Prius introduced last year stands out with sports car-like styling, a more modern interior and extra punch under the hood. The hybrid system combines a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with an electric motor for a total of 196 horsepower and average fuel consumption of 4.8 L/100 km. Oh, and all-wheel drive comes standard, too.

The Prius was also voted as the 2024 North American Car of the Year last month in a tie with its PHEV twin, the Prius Prime.

2024 Canadian Electric Car of the Year

In the EV category, the Genesis Electrified G80 won the award in a battle against the aforementioned Prius Prime and the Hyundai IONIQ 6.

At a time when luxury sedans all seem to be obsessed with speed and performance, the Genesis G80 prefers to focus on comfort. Beyond the classy exterior is a quiet sanctuary that takes on another dimension in the fully electric variant (365 horsepower, 516 lb-ft of torque, 454 km of range). The Electrified G80 offers four levels of regenerative braking and enables one-pedal driving.

2024 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year

When it comes to utility vehicles, the Toyota Grand Highlander is AJAC’s top pick for 2024, succeeding the Hyundai IONIQ 5. It edged out another brand new three-row SUV, the Mazda CX-90, as well as the Genesis GV70, a compact luxury SUV that has won multiple awards from The Car Guide.

A tremendous response to American SUVs, the Grand Highlander is more than just a Highlander with extra space in the third row and in the trunk. In addition to a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine (265 horsepower) and a hybrid system built around a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine (245 horsepower), it offers a more potent Hybrid MAX system featuring the aforementioned turbocharged mill (combined 362 horsepower). Performance is decent, but fuel economy is more impressive.

By the way, the Kia EV9 was the one that earned the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Award back in January.

2024 Canadian Electric Utility Vehicle of the Year

In the fourth and final award category, the Genesis Electrified GV70 came out on top, ahead of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the all-new Kia EV9 three-row electric SUV.

Nearly identical to the gas-powered GV70, the fully electric variant features a 77.4kWh battery that provides a zero-emission range of 380 km. The dual motors give the vehicle a combined output of 429 horsepower and a maximum torque of 516 lb-ft. However, a "Boost" button increases output to 483 horsepower for 10 seconds, allowing 0-100 km/h sprints in just 4.2 seconds. Too bad there’s no entry-level model that qualifies for EV incentives.